IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO QUIT

We are told that it is going to spread!  All efforts need to be on what can be done to best be prepared for the coronavirus affecting the least amount of people.  COVID-19, is a disease that can cause what doctors call a respiratory tract infection. It can affect your upper respiratory tract, sinuses, nose, and throat, or lower respiratory tract, windpipe and lungs.
 If a person’s lungs are damaged from smoking, it would be difficult for the lungs to deal with even a small amount of the coronavirus that spills over to the respiratory tract.  At least 22% of Wabash County population smokes cigarettes.  Smoking causes damage to the lining of the breathing tubes and within the lungs themselves where oxygen exchanges with the blood.  Whether someone is a long-term smoker, active and current smoker, their risk of having complications from coronavirus would be much higher than the general population.
 There is no verified proof that vaping and smoking increases the odds to attract the coronavirus. However, we do know that smoking any form of tobacco and vaping does damage the lungs and compromises the lungs ability to properly function.   This would weaken the ability to fight off the coronavirus when it attaches lung tissue.  Those that smoke cigarettes and vape would be categorized as having an underlying illness, which makes them more susceptible to the coronavirus. 
 Because the worst cases of COVID-19 rob a person of their ability to breathe, and those that smoke or vape already have compromised their breathing capacity, there is no better time to quit to help protect yourself from COVID-19.
 There is a general perception that any harm caused to the lungs is irreversible; that's not entirely true. While you can't necessarily undo the structural damage, the function of the lungs can improve significantly once cigarettes have been removed from the equation.
 According to research published in 2009 in the journal Respiratory Medicine, people with mild to moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can expect to experience normalization of lung function decline within a year of quitting.
 What this means is that the rate of decline considered normal with age was no different from someone who had never smoked before.
 Your body will immediately realize when the smoking cycle is broken. This is because tobacco smoke causes the reactive constriction of blood vessels in the body. When the smoke is removed, the constriction will start to cease, resulting in lower blood pressure, pulse rate, and your body temperature will start to return to normal.
 After eight hours of living smoke-free, the carbon monoxide levels in your blood will drop, while oxygen will start reaching your cells and tissues at a normal rate.
 After the first day of not smoking, the risk of heart attack starts to go down, in 48 hours the taste and smell receptors start to heal, and in 2 weeks breathing becomes easier, and circulation improves.  The body does start to heal itself when someone stops smoking and vaping.
 That is why it is so important to quit now.  Increase your odds to not contract COVID-19.  All you have to do is call 1-800-QUIT-NOW.  Free over the phone counseling and two weeks of free patches or gum to help you get started.  It is never too late to quit.  Any questions or desiring any local help, contact Dan Gray, Wabash County Tobacco Free Coalition, at tobaccofreewabash@hotmail.com or call 260-274-2920 (wabashcotobaccofree.net).